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Be part of the solution!

By Nick Hill | 31 January 2018

Do you use carrageenan or plastic in your products? If so, you could be part of the solution to reduce marine debris and increase fish stocks whilst benefiting marginalised coastal communities. Exciting? Read on…

Net-Works was co-founded by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Interface Inc. We have co-created and prototyped a solution around fishing nets and demonstrated its replicability through the establishment of four hubs* in the Philippines and one hub in Cameroon. Now we have started applying this model to other raw materials created by these communities in order to help us scale the impact; namely seaweed carrageenan and other plastics. Preliminary modelling, based on our experiences, shows that this diversified Net-Works model scaled across a whole hub could provide sufficient revenue to cover in-country overheads and provide return on investment – opening up the possibility of impact investment to scale the model across Southeast Asia (read about why Southeast Asia here).

To turn this model into a reality we are opening up Net-Works to new corporate partners interested in working with ZSL to co-create the supply chains for carrageenan and other plastics. Interface are committed to the continued growth and success of Net-Works, and are delighted to see Net-Works open its doors to other partners who will help widen Net-Works’ reach and impact. ZSL are excited to work with new partners, alongside Interface, to deepen Net-Works’ conservation an community benefits, applying the learnings from nylon to other materials and industries in order to deliver the shared goal of a future ocean with less plastic and more fish.

Click here to find out more about Net-Works, our achievements and our future plans, and contact us for further information.